Liverpool0 - 1Wolverhampton

Wolves beat Liverpool for the first time in 27 years to climb off the foot of the Premier League table and pile pressure on Reds manager Roy Hodgson.

Stephen Ward's crisp finish from Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's pass 11 minutes into the second half proved enough to give Mick McCarthy's men a famous victory.

Raul Meireles wasted a dismal Liverpool's best chance early on when he shot straight at Wayne Hennessey.

And Martin Skrtel's late headed goal was rightly ruled out for offside.

That scare aside, Wolves had little trouble in holding on for their first league away win of the season and their first over the Reds since little-known striker Steve Mardenborough gave them a victory at Anfield in January 1984.

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Hodgson dismisses criticism despite defeat

In truth McCarthy's side, so often unable to turn impressive performances into points, were fully worthy of all three on an evening when Liverpool looked totally devoid of any creative spark.

Before the match, Hodgson had expressed the hope that his players would be fresh rather than rusty after an 18-day break from league commitments because of two successive postponements.

But even the return of skipper Steven Gerrard from a six-week injury layoff could not inspire Liverpool, and Hodgson headed down the tunnel with the boos of fans ringing in his ears after an eighth league defeat of the season which leaves the Reds in 12th place going into the new year, just three points above the relegation zone.

The first half was an instantly forgettable affair, with the only chance of note falling to Meireles inside six minutes.

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